Time Between Cultures - An Intercultural Approach to Time

Impulse, 20:00-22:00 - Did you ever look at time as a cultural concept? Something that may initially seem self-evident and static might become much more versatile and complex if you take an intercultural approach. Is time linear or cyclic? Does the future lie ahead of us, or is it the unknown ground behind our backs? Is time defined by the clock or by events? Is time scarce or unlimited? Can time be wasted? Can time be controlled or not? Around the globe, we vary in our views on these issues.

What kind of cultural differences and similarities can be discerned, and what does this tell about ourselves and each other? Join Studium Generale and explore the intriguing concept of time from the perspective of cultural anthropology, and find out why the cultural rules of social time have been characterised as a “silent language”. It turns out that time is all but an unambiguous concept, and that the way we look at it reveals a lot about our sociocultural backgrounds and our outlooks on life. Examine your personal time orientation and find out how it relates to that of others. How can intercultural awareness of different perspectives on time facilitate international and intercultural communication and collaboration?